Radishes and Carrots

Radishes are one of the fool-proof vegetables I grow. I don't eat a lot of them, but do enjoy some fresh and in salads. Because I don't need to grow a lot, I can grow a few varieties.

The best ones I grow are French Breakfast. These are an elongated cyclindrical type and grow quickly. The globe-type tend to go woody quicker for me, but I still plant Cherry Globe, Sparkler, and few Chinese White globe-types. Because the grow quickly, even up here, I tend to plant a few every 10 days or so trying to spread out the harvest. I usually try to limit my efforts to two or three feet at one time. Once it warms up they are best not planted as they go woody even faster. The key is to harvest them early and heavily. My goal this year will be to ruthless ly tend them and harvest as soon as practical to make room for my Carrots.

I do use more Carrots in soups, stir fries and freeze them for Winter. Because the beds are only 8 or so inches deep, I try to grow more short varieties than the longer classic types. Half Danvers and Nantes have proven the most reliable for me and I plant enough to get me through the Winter as well as enough to eat fresh.